As part of a Missouri School Improvement Program review, parents, students, and school employees were asked to voluntarily answer surveys regarding programs and services available to students. Staff photo by George Anderson [Click to enlarge]

As part of an evaluation administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Kennett School District (KSD) staff, the district has sent out a survey to parents with the goal of learning how parents feel about the educational programs and services provided to area children.

The survey will provide parents an opportunity to help evaluate Kennett Public Schools. The results of this survey will help the KSD make improvements in the programs and services provided to the students.

Responses from parents will be anonymously summarized and will become part of a report for the school district. The district will then use this report in the development of school improvement efforts.

All children in the district were given a survey to take home. If a parent has more than one child, the parent will receive more than one survey. Parents are asked to fill out a survey for each individual child.

The surveys will be processed so that school officials receive reports about each building in the district.

Some examples of questions on the survey are:

* In what grade is your child?

* What is your relationship to the child?

* How many adults in your household work outside the home for pay?

* How many hours of television does your child usually watch each day?

* Which best describes your household? Single parent, Two parent household (mother/father), Two parent household (step-family), Other;

"The purpose [of the survey] is to get feedback from parents in things they feel we need to do better," said Kennett Superintendent Jerry Noble.

"A lot of time we think we're communicating things to parents and we find out that we're not. This [survey] will help us with that," Noble continued.

Surveys are to be turned in by September 22, 2008.